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I’m trying to embrace every long summer day before they’re all gone. Let’s hit the pool and the farmers’ markets and make the most of these hot-weather days.
To that end, I’ve rounded up twenty-five salads, main dishes, sides and desserts featuring ripe summer produce. Hurry and make these fresh summer recipes while you still can!
I struggled to keep this list at a reasonable number, so be sure to check out my full summer archives and summer recipes Pinterest board for even more summer recipes. I’ll be back with more new recipes later this week!
1) Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
“Made this for dinner tonight… so delicious! I took a shortcut and bought my zucchini already spiralized at Whole Foods. The sauce is amazing, so flavorful! I’m excited to have some of it leftover to eat during the week :)” – Halley
2) Summertime Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Jalapeno Pesto
“Just devoured this for lunch! So good! My toddler loved it too, so I’m sure we will be making this many times this summer. Thanks!” – Sarika
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“Thanks for posting this recipe! Made it for dinner tonight…it was delicious! My husband loved it. Will definitely make it again” – Denise
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“Delicious, refreshing dish! I served as an appetizer for a dinner party and my guests loved it on a warm summer night. With the leftovers, I added to a basil pesto pasta and it was perfect. Thanks, Kate!” – Courtney
5) Summertime Fruit Salad
“I made it over the weekend and loved it! I made it with basil and maple syrup. Your blog is now my go-to cook book.” – Denise
6) Berry Spinach Salad with Spicy Maple Sunflower Seeds
“This is amazingly delicious, and so quick to make. Love the heat of the cayenne on the sunflower seeds. I use so many of your recipes and am enjoying the new cookbook with the beautiful photos. Congratulations!” – Susan
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“I know this is an older post, but my husband and I have made it at least 6 times in the last 3 months. Easily my favorite recipe at the moment. Thank you for many delicious summer days!” – Rebecca
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“Kate, this recipe is ridiculous! I knew when I read it, I had to try it – but I was still blown away. Green beans are in season for me right now and I’ve been making this recipe at least twice a week (sometimes more…). I love the sour-salty-crunchy combination, and it’s so easy to make. I’ve been enjoying it hot (partly because I can’t wait for it to cool down), and it’s delicious. Thanks for another stellar recipe!” – Sarah
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“Made this last night for dinner and…AMAZING! Everybody loved it, even the teenager who was like “ew radishes” and then took the corn salad leftovers for lunch today. Thanks, Kate!” – Rebecca
10) Strawberry Salsa
“We thought we would give this a try but had little expectations for it. Turns out it is excellent! We will definitely make it again.” – Krista
11) Summertime Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
“I made this yesterday and it was soooo good! We have a heat wave here in Germany right now so this was the perfect balance between refreshing and something warm for lunch. Will definitely make again :)” – Sam
12) Simple Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Dipping Sauce
“I made these skewers last night for a dinner party and they were beautiful as well as tasty! They were a huge hit and I would definitely make them again!” – Jody
13) The Ultimate Gazpacho
“I just returned from a mother/daughter trip to Spain and fell in love with Gazpacho. I came home determined to make it myself. Your recipe most closely mirrors what I had there. I am now making it at every entertaining opportunity to share a bit of Spain with my friends. Thanks for a great recipe!” – Mary
14) Simple Peach, Basil and Ricotta Flatbread
“Kate, I love this recipe! It’s such a good, quick, summery dinner. I popped it in the oven after a late night at work last week (when I was starving!) and the timer went off just after I had changed into some comfy clothes. Everyone: if you’re having a “sweets” craving, trying drizzling a little honey over the entire assembled dish. NOM.” – Jennifer
15) Basil Pesto
“Best recipe ever, I am not even kidding you! I made the vegan version yesterday and it turned out so creamy and SO heavenly. It’s my new go to!” – Barbie
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“Made this for the first time tonight, as my husband and I are trying more vegetarian dishes. It is outstanding! So good, and super easy. My husband isn’t a fan of goat cheese, so he just had Parmesan on his half, and it worked well (I love goat cheese and it added so much creaminess to the sauce). Thanks for a great recipe!!!” – Martha
17) Heirloom BLT Salad (with Coconut Bacon!)
“I don’t know where my mind was when I decided to make this recipe for my boyfriend tonight. He hates coconut and he thinks kale is overrated. As I was making this I thought “oh, no… my he is going to hate this.” But he loved it and went back for seconds! And he adored the dressing.” – Ashley
18) Caprese Pasta Salad
“I loved this pasta! It was so easy and fast to make, and so fresh even when I heated it up the next couple of days. I’ll definitely be making this again.” – Rachel
19) Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza
“I made a batch of this pesto and cooked one pizza at the beginning and a second at the end of the week. I pit different toppings on it, and both times was told it was the best pizza I’ve made in a long time! Very yummy, thank you!” – Margo
20) Erin’s Baked Eggs on a Bed of Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
“Oh goodness, this was delicious! I’d been looking for a little something different from my weekend-go-to egg breakfast, and this was such a nice replacement! And what I love is how light this was still for breakfast, a great way to start the morning.” – Patricia
21) Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine
“Not only was this delicious when I made it, the leftovers were just as good – a major plus for me because I always want to have good leftovers to bring to work for lunch. I added some roasted sweet potato to one of my portions of leftovers and the flavors worked well together. I know this has been up for awhile, but thanks for another great recipe Kate!” – Amanda
22) Greek Wedge Salad
“Thanks for the recipe, Kate. I made this tonight and it received rave reviews! It was refreshing as a Greek salad always is, but the Lemon Tahini dressing made it so vibrant. It was so easy and so delicious! Next time I may add beans for a complete meal. The presentation is gorgeous–can’t wait to serve it to guests.” – Judi
23) Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
“This was crazy delicious, thank you! I made it for my parents who said going gluten free will be terrible. They loved it!! Great job!” – Jem
24) Healthy Zucchini Muffins
“Words cannot express how much I want everyone to make these :) They are moist and delicious! I used coconut oil and maple syrup. I also made a divine cashew frosting for those days when you just want some on top, and they go perfectly together! :) I’ll be making them breakfasts this week too! Thanks, Kate!” – Stephie
25) Watermelon White Sangria
“This was wonderful and so beautiful to serve at a party. LOVED this.” – Courtney
More resources you might appreciate: 13 healthy make-ahead breakfast recipes, 16 recipes that pack well for lunch and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You might also like my monthly seasonal produce guides and essential kitchen tools. View all roundups and resource posts here.
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